Monsters, Lovers
by Beautiful Phantom
Summary: It's okay for a monster to be in love, and it's okay that someone so pure is love with a monster too. *Latest Installment: Of Death and Devil*
1. So Desperately in Love

**So Desperately in Love  
**(alternation title: **The Lady in the Alley**)**  
**He didn't mean to fall in love again.  
_(theme 14: desperately in love)_

Vincent was quite certain that he was damned. Doomed forever to the pit of hell. Quite certain. Never to be loved and loved again. He fell in love with the first woman he ever loved, only to find that she was once in love with his father and later in love with someone that deserved all of the suffering in the world.

It hurt, still hurts, to know that he was giving all of his heart, only to have it squashed into pieces.

He then fell in love again-his heart twisting with pain at the thought of it. He was in love with the Lady in the Alley. Vincent didn't know her name and she wouldn't tell him. He knew her only by her title, affectionately made by those who knew her. She was beautiful, perhaps not to others (she was considered fairly plain, but then again she was dirty and soot-covered from living in the alley of a factory, so how would they know?), but she was to him.

It might be Mako's doing, but what stood out for him were her brilliant eyes.

They were drowning him. Suffocating him, with thoughts of _her_.

Not one realized he was fairly a romantic man-most simply thought Vincent as a dark, tortured individual caped in the color of blood. He supposed that was also true, but that was not all of what he was. He simply wanted to be loved-wanted to have someone who understand him and give him many silly kisses and warm hugs. And to keep his bed warm, comforting him from his many nightmares and offering him carnal love.

To put it simply, Vincent Valentine wanted all forms of love.

The Lady of the Alley was kind; her eyes alighted with curiosity of him when he first stumbled into her alley, with a gaping wound. He was battling a squad from Deepground and he barely defeated them all, and lo and behold that was how he first met the Lady. Vincent found himself under the care of the woman, who surprisingly knew how to heal for someone who had chosen to live in an alleyway.

Perhaps she used to be a doctor-or an nurse-the Lady does seemed to be old enough to be one. That and she also knew how to manipulate the Cure Materia (though the Lady used it rarely it seemed). Next thing he knew, he was fully recovered and was about to be kicked out of her 'home'. The kind woman was unexpectedly fiery, he remembered with his heart in his throat, as she told him he'd bring danger to the children she was protecting.

Vincent complied, thanking her as he ran off, intending to take care of the Deepground operation for once and for all.

It took him some time but he finally downed it all and was at peace with his past love. But it was a sudden realization that he was in love _again_, with a woman he barely even met. But Vincent was and still is a romantic man-it wasn't a surprise that he did fell in love, but still…a stranger?

Maybe it was just his heart playing tricks with him. He had to see the Lady in the Alley again. He _had_ to.

And so, Vincent returned. She gave a wary look, unsure if he still bring dangers or not. But nonetheless, she greeted him as she was taking care of an ill child, _"Hello there, the gentleman in red."_ He remembered that he never gave him her name and was quick to remedy that. Despite already knowing his name, she still never gave him her name, her smile teasing.

But that was alright with him, as long he was welcomed in her company.

Only then Vincent confirmed with himself that he was _indeed_ in love.

Children later expected him with the Lady, always greeting him with affections. He found himself spoiling them a bit and sometime took care of them.

It was comforting-never once had he be welcomed so warmly.

Yet the heart still beat with pain. Vincent wasn't brave enough-he never had been.

Until the Lady too fell ill.

Vincent nearly cried right there and then, as he thought he was going to lose her. All of the children told him one thing, "Take her away from here! Make her better!" And so he did. Vincent took her to a doctor he himself knew.

But he doesn't know if she will recover or not. It was sobering, his heart was angry at him with his inaction.

It _hurts._

It hurts so bad that he found himself confessing, if only to cease that pain.

And she smiled to him, her skin pale and heated from her sickness. She told him her name.

Kagome.

It was such a lovely name. So _lovely._

And she was beautiful-she was no longer dirty and soot-covered. Her hair was no longer grey with matted dirt and her skin no longer spotted with dried mud. Kagome was the most beautiful woman to Vincent.

He wanted to love her then but knew better of it, as she was still sick. The doctor ushered him out, telling him of her needing of rest. Vincent had no choice but to obey, but he saw her smile. So it was enough.

Vincent thought to find some information on her. And her record was fairly all over the places but what was jarring to him was that the dates were…astonishing. Was she perhaps another victim of Hojo? He doesn't know. And it didn't matter to him.

"Vincent, are you thinking again?" A laugh pulled him out of his deep brooding, "Come on now, any more thinking will give you wrinkles." He turned up to the woman he loved, his eyes were sharp yet amused. Vincent then was peppered with kisses.

Even if he was damned to the pit of hell or whatnot, then at least he was well-loved. And he finally loved in return. His heart was finally content.

-_Owari._

* * *

A/N: Some things are up for you to interpret-whether if Kagome got better or got worst in the end is up to you. I hope you at least like it and I'd appreciate some feedback on what you think of it! You are also welcome to drop a prompt or two. :)

All of the old shots were already moved-here's a link for you to see and reread your old favorites!** https : / / docs . google . com / open?id=0B6sWOVVM9RdrNEZ1QnpreXNSWk0**

Copy and paste in an address bar! Don't forget to close the spaces if you needed to!

I'm also looking for another beta-so if you think you can put up with me, drop a PM. I know that there are mistakes all over so I'd love some help. Anyway, enough rambling from me, look forward for more VinKags shots!


	2. Holding Out for a Hero

_**Holding Out for a Hero  
**_Someone will always need an hero to save them.  
_(theme 24: fight/flight  
theme 168: mind  
theme 301: __prison)  
__**  
**_Disclaimer: Many thanks to my friend, **Nidia. Ceylon**, for creating a part of a song for me for this fanfiction-all credit goes to her! I also do not own '_The Grand Old Duke of York_', a lullaby under _Public Domain_. There's a direct nod to _Bonnie Tyler_ and_ Frou Frou_ for the title.

I do, however, own '_Weaving the Dreams_', both normal and twisted versions, as I made it for the sake for this story. Ask for permission if you wish to use it; otherwise _please _do leave it alone. Thank you! Otherwise, I made no money off of anything.

Warnings: This is rated M due to the violence, foul language, and for psychology being used. It got _implications_ but it is strictly M…_I think_.

Beta Reader(s): **NarutoFanProductions** and a very sweet gentleman whom name will forever be a mystery to those who read this shot.

Dedicated: **NarutoFanProductions**! Happy (belated) Birthday, my little hostage buddy!

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It was blindingly bright, so white he had to squint to allow his eyes to adjust accordingly. There was a dull, thrumming pain in the back of his head and his lower stomach and a groan slipped. It wasn't as painful, but nonetheless uncomfortable. Next thing he noticed was the size of the whiteness and emptiness of the room.

The room was large, much like a four-star hotel's lobby room, with only a bolted down long bench of the same color. The white painted metal bench was the center of the room. Then he realized the walls and floor were _padded._ "What the hell?" He stated out loud, "Where am I?"

His body was too stiff, making everything difficult to move, let alone lifting a finger.

"Hello, Mr. Valentine! Congratulation on your first day here." A voice announced, nasally, from nowhere and the man was quick to figure that it was just a loudspeaker, feeding from elsewhere. Before he could scream or even make a word, the voice loudly stated, "I must inform you of your status here. From now on you are no longer known as Vincent Valentine and will be referred as SUBJECT 0089," Vincent stared at the empty ceiling and listened intently.

The voice continued, "For as long as you remain here. You will not have any luxury to make any request unless it's your basic need. And you will cooperate with your authority no matter what or you shall be punished."

Vincent growled out in anger, yet the voice kept on, "Again, you will not have any unnecessary luxury-so that includes asking questions. If you simply must have an answer, please refer to other SUBJECTs as you will mingle with them at some point.

"You will have three meals per a day-Breakfast will be served at seven a.m., Lunch will be served at one p.m., and finally, Dinner will be served at seven p.m. I must remind you that those are counted as your luxury-should you do anything to jeopardy that, a meal will be taken away." Vincent's knuckles were white.

"Socialization is also counted as a luxury and it will occur once every week and take place right in this room you are in, exactly an half an hour after Lunch and will last of four hours. A toilet will be in your cell. Showering will occur out of the cell after Dinner and an authority will personally escort you." Was there someone trying to control his life?

"You will sleep in your own cell, number 093, with a bed and a blanket. And provided you cooperate well with us, at a later time you will be provided a few forms of entertainment. Again, those are also counted as a luxury. Hope you will have a nice time here, SUBJECT 0089!" Then there was a click, followed by a screeching feedback. Vincent winced at the sound, as anger bubbled within him.

"Why the hell am I here?" He shrieked at the soundless ceiling. Then memories flooded him. The last thing he remembered was Hojo…and his dying. Anger exploded and he howled, "Someone FUCKING tell me WHY am I HERE?" Vincent fell off the bench, pain finally racking his form. Nonetheless the anger didn't fade. He didn't stop screaming.

It seemed like forever since he first came in this horrible room-his voice had gone hoarse. Vincent let out frustration tears as he started slamming his fists on the cushioned floor. He thought he heard a door click close and looked up.

"It won't do any good by screaming." It was a fairly young girl, her eyes downcasted, as she approached the defeated man slowly. He then noticed that she had an IV drip and that she was half bald-half of her head had a choppy inky hair. The other side was fuzzy yet naked of luscious hair. The Girl then was garbed into a simple oversized white shirt (like the ones he sometimes saw hospital patients wear) with a serial of number over her left side of her chest.

She then sat down on the bench, lifting her head to stare at an empty spot, "You're only lucky that it was your first day here. It was expected that you'd be angry. Otherwise you'd be badly punished."

Vincent struggled to get back on the bench, logic taking over his brain even as his body was weak, "Why…am I here?"

The Girl didn't blink as she gave him an answer-an answer that he dreaded, "They wanted to use you like a lab rat. That's why we are all here." The sound of dripping was sickening. The tube stubbornly kept its hold on an elbow.

Vincent paled, realizing that the Girl was much younger than he was and the situation he's currently in. "Mister, if you wanted to live then listen to the orderlies." She paused before adding an afterthought, "But if you wanted to die, then that's okay too. That might be better." She desolately stated.

The man noticed a few things about her-she had a collar on her neck and that she might be affected by Mako, judging by the brightness of her eyes, "…How…old are you?" Vincent didn't really wanted to ask, but he had to know what he was dealing with here.

"I turned fifteen last month." The Girl told him, her eyes never moved from that empty spot.

His throat turned dry, "How…long?"

She flinched, causing the IV drip to rattled slight, "…Just before I turned fourteen." The Girl had a sharp intake of breath to calm herself.

This information was far worse than the fact that he was shot and was dead only to be revived somehow and ended up in…wherever he was. Vincent didn't say much. Silence stretched between them. Until two doors opened simultaneously, a voice announced, "SUBJECT 0076, it's time to go back to your cell."

SUBJECT 0076 nodded, "Yes, sir." She said quietly and stood up. She then gave a glance to Vincent, "Good luck to you. Listen if you want to live." She turned away, "I'll see you next Wednesday…if you haven't died yet that is." SUBJECT 0076 then disappeared with the door shutting close. The said door blended in with along the padded walls.

Vincent didn't want to listen when he was asked to go through the other doorway and the next thing he knew, it was already morning (or so he thought. He couldn't tell with the lack of sunlight and clock. There was nothing in his cell but a toilet and bed). The cell he was in was just like the 'lobby' room, only much smaller. About eight by five by ten, he guessed.

Only reason why he knew it was morning was because of the food tray on the floor.

He didn't want to eat, due to the pain in his head. Vincent guessed it was because he was hit by that large, faceless man. But hunger won out. Now there was an empty tray abandoned at his feet.

It was so utterly dull in this cell.

Was he somehow found and revived by a fellow Turks and taken here as a punishment? Somehow he doubted that, considering that Turks were rather like a close knit family (though they did not take betrayal lightly). So it must be Hojo's doing. _That fucking bastard…_He thought darkly as images of how he'd murder the motherfucker came across his head. Then he turned poignant at the thought of the woman he loved, _Lucrecia…_

Vincent thought on many things, especially Lucrecia and that poor girl.

The girl was obviously suffering but resigned to her fate.

Then Lunch came, the first tray disappeared somehow without his notice. It didn't look appetizing, as it was merely a glob of some kind with mashed vegetables. That he didn't touch.

Suddenly his mind turned and he grew angry again, sprouting off rants and vulgar curses where he thought the door would be. Vincent tried to tear down the padding but found that they were too strong to be simply torn. He then opted to try and kicking the door down. It didn't budge but his feet were sore. It took a long hour for the rage to ebb away. Then following that, he had a crying fit, the lunch was smeared all over the wall. Vincent felt so trapped. The cell was suffocating.

He grew tired and opted for sleeping, as it seemed like it was only thing he could even _do_. And so he slept and dreamt of better times.

Vincent was rudely awoken, as he found himself being shoved out of the door by an annoyed orderly, "Time for the shower, SUBJECT 0089." The man stated, as he clicked down some cuffs on Vincent's hands and his feet. Vincent tried to backlash him, only to be slammed onto the hard floor, "You better listen, little brat!" The orderly warned, with a zapper buzzing in his fat hands.

Vincent had no choice.

He saw how drastically different the hallways were to the cells and the 'lobby' room. There was no padding, but instead were all steel and cold. The floor was like ice underneath his bare feet as he was led away from his cell. Vincent heard other men going in the cell, perhaps to clean up the mess he made.

Then they stood before a door, this time crystal clear where he could see fog within. The man opened the door and dragged Vincent in. Vincent paled when he saw a long stall of showers; most were already used by women and men alike. All of their individual 'authority' included was spitting orders on what and where to wash. There was one left empty, at the middle.

The bulky man dragged him there and immediately told him to strip. Vincent didn't and was smacked right against the tiled, damp wall of the stall, "Take off your fucking clothes!" By the corner of his red eyes, he briefly saw that girl again, weakly washed herself as per order of a female orderly. She spotted him and looked away. She was naked but oh so skinny and her body was littered with wounds, both old and fresh.

Other SUBJECTs paid him no mind, as they hurried to avoid punishments, though some gave him a pitying glance. Vincent absently noted that some were in such a bad shape and few seemed to have lost eyes and were fully bald.

The orderly, frustrated, decided to humiliate him by tearing the shirt off of him and roared out to the others attention, "If you do not comply, I will see to it that you will be raped in front of everyone!" All of the orderlies forced their duties to look, fear in their eyes. His authority's hands were on the hem of his pants.

Vincent said nothing but obeyed, thoroughly humiliated. Rage increased once more but for once he held it in. He saw the girl, _crying_, in her shower.

When they deemed all of their washing acceptable, the orderlies escorted them out, one by one. All naked and wet. Icy air was sharp on their drenched skin and Vincent nearly violently shivered, seeing others' trembling from the cold. Each SUBJECT went in their own cell-that girl's cell number was 081 he noted. Then he was shoved into his own little corner of this insanity.

There, on his made bed, was a clean folded gown. He hurried to place it on and dove under the blanket to warm himself. The sharpness of the cold didn't fade away for some time. Sleep came late.

The dreams were warm.

All of which were shattered by a scream some time later. Vincent was startled and got up, baffled. The voices outside of his cell were muffled-he couldn't make them out. His heart slammed into his chest, fear crept in. Beats of the organ were loud in his ears, "…What's going on…?"

Familiar sounds of dripping rang in his head, _"They wanted to use you like a lab rat. That's why we are all here."_

_Drip.  
Drip.  
Drip._

He didn't scream this time.

_When will it be my turn?_

The answer came after breakfast. The meal was fairly gamey, nonetheless it helped keep his sanity in check.

"SUBJECT 0089! It's time for your first health check up!" The door clicked open, showing that same hateful orderly that threatened him last time. Vincent remembered to listen and went along with the man, "You learn fast. That's good." The bastard laughed-that nasal sound nearly reminded him of Hojo-as the cuffs clicked on his wrists and anklets. Rage bubbled underneath. Vincent refrained himself.

He was then led into a fairly long, almost endless hallway-with the sounds of chain clashing-until a huge door was in the view, "Here we are! Have fun!" The orderly madly grinned as he opened the door and pushed him into it. The door heavily slammed.

Vincent found himself surrounded by men in white and was locked onto a metal bed. Huge light bulbs shined into his face, blinding him. Murmurs of the men sounded and he couldn't make a sense of it as panic condemned his heart.

"Let me go!" He shrieked, thrashing his head. Then Vincent felt a sudden pain into his upper arm-a needle injected into his skin and his heart slowed. The thrashing stopped, the paralysis crept and paused the body.

"Be a good boy, SUBJECT 0089-this _won't_ hurt a bit." It was a bold-faced lie.

Vincent felt everything-a sharp knife sinking into the flesh of his lower stomach and being opened. Fingers prodding, pulling, ripping…it seemed like an eternity before he felt a thread being sewn into his flesh, to close the wound. Hot blades dancing. His mind numbed of light. He was tired of screaming.

The light bulb was then pushed away-the locks gone. The next thing he knew he was being carried and was dropped onto his bed. Vincent then curled into a ball, to try and ease the dancing hot blades. He didn't want to see what they did to him.

Vincent forgot how long it had been.

It was breakfast again, with two pills in a small plastic cup being supplied to him. It didn't take long for him to realize what they were and he weakly took them with water. Vincent didn't eat until dinner. It was relatively quiet and dull. He didn't do a damn thing but to sleep.

There had been a scream, exactly like clockwork, always after the shower or before breakfast. Sometime afterward. But they almost always were never the same. Sometime it sounded like a woman. Sometime it sounded like a man. And…sometime…it sounded like a child.

He couldn't help but to slip in the image of that girl every time he heard it.

Then it was Wednesday, an orderly told him as the bastard stopped by to escort him. "You'll have four hours of Socialization. No fucking or any physical violence is allowed. Other than that, anything goes." Vincent then was led to the 'lobby' room again.

The door clicked closed and there was that girl again. On the bench, with the IV drip. Her half-shaven head was downcasted.

Vincent swallowed in a groan as his stomach protested against walking, but he needed to sit down. The girl didn't twitch when he took a seat next to her, "I see you're still alive, Mister." She murmured.

Vincent said nothing to her.

"I'm sorry that no one else can be here today." The girl stated, "I think they were in trouble again, or too sick to come here. Or maybe a few had died. I don't really know."

Vincent frowned, "How many were there?"

"I really don't know. The numbers never stays the same." The sound of dripping never ended, "I know that there are two still around though-they are too stubborn to die." The girl smiled forlornly.

Vincent allowed the silence to stretch somewhat before he tore it down, "How did we arrive here?"

There was a rattle of the IV drip and a fast intake of breath, "I'm not sure about you but…" She shut her eyes, "My uncle sold me here for money. They said I'm worth a lot because I am…unusual."

He paled at that and he didn't doubt one bit that Hojo may have done the same thing to him, "Unusual how?"

The girl shrugged, "I'm not sure. Something about my body's adaption to Mako or the like."

_Drip.  
Drip.  
Drip._

"What was your name?" He asked kindly.

The girl gave him a glance, "My name is…_was_ Higurashi Kagome." _Was_? He frowned but blinked when she asked, "What was yours, Mister?"

"My name is Vincent Valentine." He tried to give her a smile but failed as the atmosphere was too miserable for him to pull it off, "You have a pretty name, Kagome. Were you from Wutai?" The girl had the family name first, in which was usual only in the country of Wutai.

Kagome nodded and thanked him, "You have a very nice name, Mr. Valentine." She returned.

"Thank you."

_Drip.  
Drip.  
Drip._

"How often…do we…get a _check up_?" He winced at asking this question.

Kagome replied without a thought, "Usually it's once a week. But it depends."

Vincent frowned, "Don't you ever want to get out?"

"Who doesn't?" She looked weary, absently brushing her hair to try and cover the naked side.

_Drip.  
Drip.  
Drip._

The silence between them was comfortable. It was only unfortunate that it was time for them to return to their cells.

Next Wednesday was the only thing he looked forward to. Until then, he suffered through the mind numbing boredom, horrible meals, and bitter icy showers. Sometime he'd have a fit for little reasons, his rage over boiling. Then it was time for his _check up_.

His brain-already crazed-was plotting on his escape. There was only one man with him and it was rather a long hallway. His only weapon was the chains.

Within a split second, Vincent had strangled the man and killed him with said chains. He grabbed the key to free himself and ran. The entire hallway was then blanketed in the red light, the voice loudly summoning the horde of men of an escapee, "-_Alert! Red Alert! We have an escapee! Capture the escapee! I repeat…_"

Vincent ran and ran. His legs burned but didn't protest, his body knowing of his need to flee this mad place. It was like a maze but his training installed a sense to delay the horde and finding a way out. There was a pair of dawn-lit windows and a door.

A door to the freedom.

And he was too late, his body deteriorating as it was struck with electricity. His hands barely touched the door. Vincent had failed.

He was hauled to the _check up_ room and left there to be punished. There was a mirror above his body, his head was locked to watch. The men in white then went to work, without giving him the needle to spare him of some pain.

Hot blades danced harder then.

He watched himself being opened, bleeding, and the men flocked around him, their gloved hands all bloodied.

_Drip.  
Drip.  
Drip._

That imaginary sound brought comfort, even when it was too hot and cold for him.

_Drip.  
Drip.  
Drip._

"_Standing in this garden, untangling vines amongst tree boroughs…" _ Darkness took him, singing in his mind, _"Memories of you, loving you. Within this garden, beneath the sky, I will nurture what's most precious, beheld by our eyes."_ Behind his eyelids, all he remembered was a blurry version of a ghastly woman dancing in a purple-dewed field.

There was a twitch and he found himself back in his white cell, his eyes staring at the walls. Nothingness overcame all. He imagined a clock ticking,

_tick  
tock  
tick  
tock_

even as the numbed pain was thrumming on his damp skin.

Wednesday couldn't come too fast for him. He watched the trays appearing and disappearing and counted them. Sometime he eats. Sometime he didn't. When it was time for the Shower, he counted that too.

It had been nine showers since his escapee attempt and Vincent wondered if not attending the Socialization was his punishment. He did recall losing some of the meals as well since the math didn't add up to three meals per day to showers. The door clicked open, "Are ya gotta be good today?" It was his new orderly as he murdered the former one in cold blood.

Oddly enough they didn't punish him too harshly over a death. Perhaps it was just something they were used to.

Vincent numbly nodded. "Good then get yer ass out." The man didn't give him the chains as they apparently recognized it as a weapon. Instead they gave him nothing but a man to control him. Vincent couldn't do a thing as he was too weak now. He was escorted out of his cell and to the 'lobby' room.

And he was alone with the girl, Kagome, again. She blinked at him, "You're very brave," She said as he walked to the bench with a tired stride, "I only remembered one red light before…and he died." Kagome murmured, "…Mister…I was all lonely last Wednesday." It wasn't directed at him but more of herself.

"I'm sorry." It was the first time he felt something else other than pain and anger. Shame. "I didn't…"

She shook her head, "It's okay. It wasn't the first time."

Silence was a welcomed regular.

"What are they doing to you?" Kagome finally asked.

He bended over his naked knees, fatigue squeezing his thinning form, "I honestly don't know. I think they were looking for something within me."

The girl said nothing else.

_Drip.  
Drip.  
Drip._

"What about you?" Vincent had a feeling it wasn't a good time to ask…

There was a rattle and sharp inhale of breath, "…Finding immortality within me."

"What?" Vincent straightened up and looked at her, "That's ridiculous! You're human!"

Kagome closed her eyes, "Well, they did it." And then it was time to leave, "As always, good luck, Mister." She stood up, dragging the IV drip with.

It took the authority to snap him out and he was then led to his cell.

Wednesdays were the only thing he looked forward to. Everything became a routine to him, even with the screams. Sometime he could hear singing.

"_Oh, the grand old Duke of York,  
He had ten thousand men;  
He marched them up to the top of the hill,  
And he marched them down again.  
And when they were up, they were up,  
And when they were down, they were down,  
And when they were only half way up,  
They were neither up nor down!"_

And sometimes mad, teary laughter.

"Tehehe hahah said so the mouse who had stolen the cheese! Tehehe hahahahah!" Then it was followed by sobbing.

Once he thought he heard the girl singing back to the crazed singer, as if to soothe them down, "_Hush a bye, said a flower. Hush a bye, hush a bye, said the Moon. Soon, soon, the Sun will be up and sunny down a smile. New day will come before the night will fall. Sleep, sleep and let us weave a dream for you. Hush a bye, hush a bye and bye and bye…"_

Most of the time, though, he thought he was just imagining things.

By the seventh Shower, it was again Wednesday.

This time it wasn't just him and the girl. There was someone else, spinning lightly around on her feet, "Oy, oy! There came a Train man! Shall he give me a ride home?" It was a tall woman, stopping only so briefly to skip over to Vincent to pull him into a dance, "Dance with me, Mr. Train man!" The woman seemed aggravated by his lack of response to her demands. Vincent noted she had a white bandage being wrapped around her left eye.

"Big Sister, enough. Leave the Mister alone." Kagome stated, her tone almost too cold. The sister flinched and released him, as if he burnt her and spun away.

"Sorry, sorry, my little dandelion!" The woman laughed, twirling about. Her shoulder-length hair swooshed around with her gracefully. Then she started singing.

Vincent blinked but nonetheless walked to the bench, "Who is she and is she really your sister?" They did look somewhat alike but their face features were too different to be siblings.

The girl smiled sadly at the woman, "She's Kikyou…She's really nice but she long since lost her mind. And she wasn't my sister…But after being here so long, most of us just saw each other as family." She explained, as her IV drip continued its' nonstop sounds.

"I…see…" Vincent murmured as he watched Kikyou laughing as she bounced all over.

"But sometimes…" Kagome closed her eyes, "Reality sets in for Kikyou." Just as if it was on cue, Kikyou flinched and fell on her knees, her dark eye dilating. She burst out in tears and started to scream and howl. Kikyou fell on her side and started to slam her head futilely against the cushioned ground. Strand of black hairs fell onto the whiteness as she grasped and started to pull as she thrashed about.

Vincent was about to get up when Kagome stopped him, "You can't do anything about it."

"Why? She can't be left like this!" He glanced at her and saw the distress on her face.

"I know. But…" Kagome cocked her head to a side, "Imagination must be so nice to have." She stated, thoughtful, "But…imagination is better than reality sometimes, even if it hurt us."

He then sighed, deciding that she was correct. The man sat back down and watched Kikyou violently beat herself up. It was reality for him and it is painful, "Mister Vincent…Will you sing with me? It usually makes Kikyou feel better."

Vincent glanced at her and agreed, "What song?"

"Weaving the Dream. Do you know it?"

"Yes."

"_When you can't sleep, let us sing a song to you.  
Let us weave a dream for you.  
Let the flowers weave, let the Moon weaves.  
We will be weaving a dream for you.  
_

_Hush a bye, said a flower.  
Hush a bye, hush a bye, said the Moon.  
Soon, soon, the Sun will be up and sunny down a smile.  
New day will come before the night will fall._

_Sleep, sleep and let us weave a dream for you.  
Hush a bye, hush a bye _

_and bye _

_and bye…"_

The sobbing slowed and Kikyou sniffled quietly. She wiped away her tears but not moving from her spot. So they opted to sing again. And before they knew it, the woman was up and dancing once more. Laughter was a much better company than Silence.

They were then summoned back to their cells.

Wednesday was the only thing he looked forward to.

It had been fourteen showers after that he first met InuYasha. A week ago, Kikyou was absent of the Socialization, possibly due to the fact that she may have gotten into trouble again due to her delusional state. The girl told him it wasn't abnormal for her, since Kikyou doesn't 'listen too good to others'. That Wednesday was rather quiet but always comforting.

Next Wednesday though…

InuYasha snarled and barked at Vincent, drool saturated from his lips as the dog-like man circled around him. InuYasha, as Kagome named him so, was rather odd-looking. He had, not surprisingly, a choppy short hair with, which are shockingly, large almost cat-like ears protruding from where human ears should be located. His hair was grey-white, along with the outer shell of his strange ears.

The Dog-Man had gold colored eyes, with very large round pupils*, and large canine fangs. Some parts of his skin had patches of white fur. His hands and feet were adored with sharp, curved nails-talons would be a better term-and again, almost were like dog's paws. At least, Vincent thought, he didn't have a tail.

"Grrr…" InuYasha sniffed Vincent's legs as he continued to walk on four, "Good man?" He asked to the girl. She nodded and the Dog-Man snorted, crawling away from Vincent to flop in a corner and watched the red-eyed male.

"He is not going to tear me apart is he?" Vincent warily asked as he took his seat next to Kagome, wincing at the pain in his abdomen. _It will heal soon._ He hoped.

"No. Brother doesn't bite…well, someone like us really." The girl shrugged.

He nodded; relief was obvious around his form. Vincent didn't think he could take on InuYasha in the state he is in. Vincent was too weak and he was pretty sure he had lost some weight, what with the ribs sticking out and all, "So…what are they doing to him?"

Kagome sighed, "I think people were trying to make him into a half dog-something to do with mixing human's DNA with animal's to make them into a Perfect Beast." She felt a stare, "I hear a lot of things from Men in White. They always talk."

_Drip.  
Drip.  
Drip._

"I…see…" It was difficult to listen while the Men in White were splitting him open, but Vincent would have to keep that in mind.

InuYasha snarled loudly, ears twitching.

"Big Sister was actually Big Brother's wife, you know." Kagome whispered, "So yeah, he has many reasons to be mad." Vincent frowned-feeling sympathy for the Dog-Man. Not pity but he understood somewhat of his pain as he loved someone as well.

Silence was, once again, a welcomed company.

**HERO**

It had been almost a year since he first came here. It was and still is a torture, but Wednesday made it all worthwhile. Vincent found out that his wounds healed a little too quickly for a human and oftentimes wondered why. He knew for certain that he didn't get the same 'treatment' as Kagome and perhaps Kikyou had, nor did he with InuYasha.

But whatever it was, it must be fairly important as the Men in White never ceased of their 'evaluation' of his body.

He sighed in his cell, staring at the pad of papers and pen he received from the authority for his good behavior. Vincent liked to write once in a while, back in his old life. But now, with nothing else to do but sleep, eat, waiting for Wednesday, and expecting for his _check up_ to occur, writing was the only way for him to ease his boredom.

Sometime it was a love letter, sometime it was his way of venting, but usually he wrote out his pain. It helped considerably. It also helped for him to keep track of days and months, giving himself an estimate of what date it was. And also for his evaluation on the others as well.

He eventually found out that Kagome liked to draw-how good, he didn't know-but it was perhaps her way of keeping herself sane, she told him. And he found out, by accident, that Kagome had scars all over her form. He wondered why he didn't notice sooner, as they too were on her bare legs. Some of the scars looked burnt, as if she had been electrocuted.

It was a terrifying realization-Vincent remembered of what she said about finding immortality. Somehow, he felt that the Men in White already discovered it in the Girl.

_How many times had she died?_

_And came back?_

He didn't want to know.

"Kagome, hello." Vincent greeted as he entered the 'lobby' room. The door clicked behind him as he approached the girl on the bench. He blinked once he saw a panting yellow-furred cat.

The girl welcomed him with warmth, as she was petting the animal on her lap, "This is Kirara." The poor thing weakly mewed at Vincent, "Men in White did something to her and now she's hot and panting all the time." Kagome was saddened.

Vincent nodded quietly, "Is it okay if I pet her?"

"Sure. I need to fill up her water bowl anyway." The girl picked Kirara up and placed her on the man's lap.

He noticed something missing, "No IV drip?"

Kagome shook her head, "They took it off. Finally. I hated that thing." He smiled minutely at her as she bent down to pick up a plastic gallon of water and gently poured some of it into a metal bowl on the ground. The cat weakly purred under Vincent's tender hands.

The girl grunted as she placed back down the gallon, knowing of her lack of upper strength.

"She needs water now?" Vincent asked, receiving a nod from the girl. He then picked up the animal to put her next to her water bowl. Kirara hurried, lapping water as fast as she possibly could. Poor thing.

"Why do you have her?" He pondered.

Kagome shrugged, "They just dumped her on me and told me to assume responsibility for her. They called her SUBJECT 0097, I think. I named her Kirara though." They watched the cat keep on drinking, never stopping, "She's really hot though, always panting and stuff. Drank all of a gallon of water within an hour." She looked up with a frown, "She was about to go after the toilet so I had to keep that closed at all time."

Vincent winced, knowing that the only time they will ever drink something were when the meals occurs, "Does she had to wait for meals to drink more?"

The Girl shook her head, "That's a weird thing-Men in White gave me bunch of gallons to keep Kirara living so…" She shrugged, "The only thing I don't like about it is having a litter box in my cell. It reeks sometimes."

Vincent chuckled and Kagome noticed something, "Hey, your hair is a bit longer now, isn't it?"

The man fingered his strands, "Oh…yeah, it is, isn't it?" He hummed, "They made me shave though."

Kagome blew out a raspberry in an attempt to stop herself from laughing, amusement glinted from her eyes. She grew fond of his company and was slowly growing a smile for Vincent.

The quietness was almost deafening.

Vincent found himself missing the noises of the IV drip right then.

Back in his cell, he remembered that the girl should be sixteen by now and wondered how he had forgotten that. And then yet another year came and had gone, with a stack of papers he was allowed to keep in his tiny cell. Vincent discovered something about himself.

He was barely sane now.

Vincent confided into Kagome on that next Wednesday, "I think there was something wrong with me, Kagome." He told her, "I don't…think right anymore." Kirara, no longer in need of drinking so much water, was purring on his laps.

Kagome, now somewhat grown and was no longer half bald (her hair was still choppy but she certainly looked much prettier with a full head of hair, Vincent amused), frowned in thought, "You told me you died once, right?"

He nodded.

"I think it may have something to do with that." She told him.

Vincent sighed, "But why now?"

Kagome shook her head, "Big Sister didn't lose her mind until after some months since I first met her. I know she died many times." She shrugged, "Mind is a weird thing."

He agreed. Suddenly he just envisioned that old dream of a woman dancing into the purple-dewed field smoldering into a fleshy skeleton dancing into the field of white-coated bodies. Vincent groaned as he willed away the frightening sight.

A hand on his shoulder startled him, "It will get better if you want to get better, Vincent." It was all he needed to hear and said nothing else to that. The cat meowed, giving him a much needed comfort.

Wednesday was the only thing he looked forward to.

It had been twenty one showers (three weeks) since he last saw Kagome (he hadn't even seen her in the Showers either!). Vincent was getting antsy, her absence was very abnormal. The girl never was absent from her Socialization at all. He hated being lonely and he hardly ever saw Kikyou or InuYasha, having been used to seeing both of them once a month and during the Showers.

Then the door clicked open from the other side of the 'lobby' room, his attention was held.

He bolted off the bench to hug the girl, "Kagome…what happened to you?" Vincent murmured in her uneven hair. He could feel her trembles.

She grasped his garb and broke down crying. Vincent absently picked her up and carried her to the bench they were very familiar with. He rocked her form into his arms, shushing her softly. The girl accepted his warmth, "They…put me with a monster…" Her head was in a crook of his neck, "And the Men in White said…they wanted to see me…" Her knuckles were white, "And that thing…tore me apart."

Vincent gasped quietly, the image of her dying sickened him to the pit of his stomach, but never ended his rocking. Kagome shivered, "Kirara was really, really mad and she got really big…And I don't remember much else than that." Tears were dark on his shirt, "I was hurt all over and I was all alone. That was why I was gone." She sniffled.

"It was really scary and I didn't have anyone helping me to get better. They took Kirara away from me."

Vincent shushed her, realizing her need of comfort. It wasn't quiet and he could feel bumps and ridges of her new, barely healed wounds among her body. Rage came back again, after such a long slumber. His sanity fell as its last string was cut by the Rage.

"Hey, Vincent…" Kagome looked up and he stopped rocking with a curious sound from his throat, "If you ever get a chance to…Will you be my hero?"

"Yes, of course I will." It was without a doubt Vincent would be.

The girl gave him a teary smile, "Thank you." She laid her head back in the crook of his neck and they remained there for rest of the hours. Rage and Insanity never left Vincent's mind. The dream of a boney woman happily skipping over the field of burning white-coated bodies was a welcomed one.

He didn't want to leave her nor did he want to go back to his cell, but Vincent knew better than to risk his Wednesdays. But that smile Kagome gave him made it okay.

Later that night, he saw the disfigurement on his lower abdomen was blacking and wondered if that was normal. He ate his dinner without an appetite and after shower, he went to bed. He dreamt of the Men in White dying in many ways possible all the while suffering. Vincent dreamt of himself with wings and claws, being a hero to the girl _he was in love with_.

Vincent woke up startled and wondered if he was indeed in love with Kagome.

_Was he really in love with her?_

_Should it really matter?_

He didn't sleep again then.

Vincent heard an unfamiliar roar and concluded that must have been Kirara. And he heard _her_ crying, "Kagome…shush, my darling." He murmured; a hand on his side of wall, "Everything will be okay."

It wasn't, for the time being.

Six months later, he heard something from a Man in White's mouth while they were opening him up. It barely ached anymore though they did take note of his insides were a few darker shades than it used to be. Because of the dull ache, Vincent could finally listen in to the fools. Kagome was right about them talking too much, "It seems that the immortality was a success with SUBJECT 0076."

That got his attention. SUBJECT 0076 was his precious Kagome.

"Yes, yes. Thus a pity SUBJECT 0064 was a failure though." SUBJECT 0064 was Kikyou, "Now…Should we try and attempt to breed SUBJECT 0076?"

_Breed her? What did they mean by that?_

There was a growl, which startled the Men. But they quickly dismissed that as one of Kirara's, never realizing that it came from _him_. The very one that was under their filthy hands. "Hmm…Shinra did want a horde of Perfect Soldiers. The ones that would never fall from a battle. So since SUBJECT 0076 already has cells of what we need for creating a Perfect Soldier…We do need to breed her…" A Man mumbled, as he tugged a flap of skin apart.

There was another growl. They again dismissed that.

"Have any idea who will be a perfect candidate?" Another man wondered out loud, a finger prodding around a hard area inside the chest, having it being opened for some time (probably due to their lack of finding in the lower stomach and eventually moved to Vincent's chest), "Hey, I think I found the Materia!"

That was their first mistake.

"You probably should leave that alone for now. We don't have any weapon against Chaos as of yet." A Man declared as he wrote down a note of it, "For now, let's just close him up." The chest cavity was then sewn shut, "Now then…A perfect candidate…What about SUBJECT 0032? He's very healthy and he's very desirable, in terms of strength and has a high IQ. "

SUBJECT 0032? Vincent didn't remember anyone of that number. Still it didn't settle well with him. And Chaos?

A Man winced, "Him? He may be smart and all, but he's _violent_. I doubt President will want a violent Perfect Soldier. Violence means they're more likely to disobey." Vincent pretended to be weak and frail as they summoned in an orderly as he listened to more of their discussion, "We'll look into the list later."

Then Vincent was carried away.

Wednesday came and Kagome greeted him, her smile warm. He smiled at her and took his usual seat, "Who is SUBJECT 0032?"

Kagome paled, "Him? Why would you wish to know?"

Vincent told her the truth and she was visibly sweating, "Breed me? I'm not some damn dog!" She drew in a shuddering sigh, "But you asked…His name is Naraku and …he is pure evil man. And don't you know? He's practically the boss of this forsaken lab because he's so smart and a manipulator." Kagome wringed her hands, "He was the first person to be in the Perfect Beast project and so far the sole success, I've heard."

He nodded, "What will you do?"

"What can we even do?" Kagome frowned, "We're prisoners and they've stripped away everything we have against them."

Vincent said nothing, knowing she was wrong. There was something _in_ him that would make him a hero, but how to trigger it…that was something he needed to figure out. "Kagome, I promised I'd be your hero and I'll try my damnest to keep it." Vincent knew she didn't believe him but her smile was worth it.

She hugged herself, thinking over the fact of being a breeder to create a line of Perfect Soldiers…That thought gave her a chill. Vincent, as if acknowledging her fear, pulled her into a hug. Silence was beginning to wear out its' reception.

Vincent imagined an elegant grandfather clock nearby, with its face twisting into a hook-nosed deer. Its antlers were branching out into numbers of skeletal hands, as if it was gesturing his insanity to flourish. The sounds didn't comfort him the slightest.

_tick  
tock  
tick  
tock  
tick_

Yet seeing the devilish clock did soothed his damaged mind somewhat. The feeling of the girl's body in his arms warmed his soul, even if the ridges on her skin hadn't yet completely gone away. And the sudden mental image of her being fattened with a cruel man's forced seeds angered him.

"Vin-Vincent!" He blinked when he realized he had tightened a little too hard and loosened himself with an apology. Kagome shook her head, a surplus of a smile still lingered on her lips, "It's okay." And she leisurely fell asleep on his neck.

Vincent sighed, remembering that she hardly ever slept due to the immortality of her body. Even so he didn't wake her. It was peaceful.

_It's the calm before the storm_. His mind warned, as it flashed him the bodies of the Men in White, _Be ready_. He didn't question the odd sounding voice at all. It sounded a lot like his but at the same time not. But Vincent didn't care.

_tick  
tock  
tick  
tock  
tick_

He forgot about Lucrecia but for once, he didn't give a damn about her.

Vincent didn't want to wake her, as it was already time to return their cells. But he had no choice and Kagome whimpered awake. She rubbed her eyes and blinked, realizing the end hour and sighed. But she smiled at him, grasping his hands for a few seconds before obeying her annoyed orderly. Vincent found that he didn't want to let her go. Her fingers slipping through his own too easily.

The man shouted at him and the orderly nearly pissed his pants by the red eyed glare. Vincent walked past him breezily, the mind already conjuring up plans after plans.

And he knew they would not come to fruition anytime soon. But that was okay. They will be worth it. Kagome is worth the wait.

As long as they hadn't yet done their endeavor to breed her that is. If that was the case then Vincent may have no choice but to be reckless.

**HERO**

It had been some months later and the Men in White easily noticed Vincent's odd behavior and took some extreme precautions with him. So now Vincent's had a collar on his neck, much like what the girl had. It was a 'shock' collar, in an attempt to control him. As if that would stop him.

It barely stung when they first tested it out on him. But Vincent had to go along with it in order to avoid arousing suspicions. He was proud to say that the acting skill came easier than he thought.

Even so, the orderlies that so often time escorted him to his favorite activity, Wednesday's Socialization, were becoming afraid of him. It was something that caused a wicked glee within him, but made sure to not be so intimidating. Vincent rather liked his Wednesdays after all and didn't want to risk it.

Even so the orderlies were becoming more and more wary of Vincent regardless of his effort to not be so fearsome.

They could see something from behind his red eyes. Something frightening.

And Kagome, Kikyou, and InuYasha could too. Kikyou shied away from him and her husband, InuYasha, snarled at him, obviously threatened. Kagome was the only one that wasn't afraid of him. She just simply gave him her smile and chose to be in his arms on daily basis.

She often worried about Kirara, whose state remained a mystery to all. The animal though roared once in a while.

"Vincent?" Kagome murmured underneath his head. Her hands were nervously grasping his shirt as she bit her lips, shifting her body slightly on his legs.

"Hmm?" He tightened his arms around her small form.

"Vincent…You look…different lately…" She hid her face into his collarbone, not because of fear but merely embarrassed.

He rubbed her back absently, "Was I? My hair got longer so I guess it might have something to do with that." Vincent's hair had reached to the middle of his back and his bangs had been framing his face (if he managed to keep them out of his face successfully for the day). Vincent glanced down on the girl and noted that while still unbalanced and choppy; her hair had been growing beautifully. _Along with her body…_his mind perversely supplied. He shushed it away, not willing to get either one of them in trouble by being horny.

Kagome shook her head, "No…that's not it." Her skin was warm upon his own, "…It's your eyes…" She murmured. The girl absently peppered kisses on his neck and she wasn't aware that she had done so.

Vincent nuzzled into her hair, "My eyes? How so?" He almost laughed at her affection, in glee of her kisses. Giddiness was bubbling into his stomach.

"Ummm…Well, the way you looked at me…" He felt the heightened heat, "It makes me warm." _I love you. _Those words were forbidden in this madhouse.

He simply hugged her tighter. _I love you too_. Then as if they knew of their growing relationship, they took her away. Her blue eyes begged to be saved and Vincent so badly wanted to, but as of now…He couldn't.

That feeling was an awful thing. The most horrible thing he ever had to endure. It was left there, over boiling and sour.

And then they caged him again.

The shower was freezing but the water on his flesh was hot, angry, as the girl was absent. Inside he was cold and sick yet he was angry. _It's almost time,_ his mind cooed sinisterly, _It's time for the mad ones to fall._ Vincent saw the promise of death-bodies slaughtered and blood painting the whiteness of this asylum. He grinned under the rain; his long hair barely hid his insanity from the orderlies that watched all.

The cage seemed to be smaller when he was forced back into his corner but Vincent didn't bother to wonder why. He simply lied on his bed and watched his hands. The skin was blackening. Nails were becoming harder and longer within a blink of an eye. It was not a fast change but it was not slow either*.

"_When a devil can't sleep, let us sing a song to him.  
Let us knit a dream for him.  
Let the dead knit, let the Hell knit.  
We will be knitting a dream for him.  
_

_Hush a bye, said a dead man.  
Hush a bye, hush a bye, said the Hell.  
Soon, soon, the Father will be up and slaughter all of those who are awake.  
New world will come before the Hell will fall._

_Sleep, sleep and let us weave a dream for him.  
Hush a bye, hush a bye _

_and bye _

_and bye…"_

His mind laughed and Vincent couldn't help but to grin.

Then there was a cry, the voice familiar. And his mind stopped. A roar fled from his lips.

The door that refused his freedom was torn away, killing a faceless man that was in the way. The red light blanketed the hall. Power crackled around his form and there was a heavy weight upon his back. But he didn't need to see to know what it was.

Thin membrane of skin stretched, bones held its form from his back. His sight was twisted, his field of vision was dark, yet he could still see everything clearer than ever before. Vincent didn't know what he looked like now but knew that the slight fabric that was his gown barely held on. His power had burnt most of it, leaving behind only enough to have some decent privacy.

Men came; some with eyes reared in fear, and tried to hold him down. But he simply thrust his hands into a few, killing them quickly. Others he made suffered, red blanketed the shiny steel. He thought it glorious. Those that survived tried to flee.

Vincent didn't let them go that easily, allowing his energy to strike them down.

There was another cry and he heard his name being whimpered out. _Kagome!_ He allowed his feet to guide him. Then he saw her. Her eyes wide with trembling fear as she was chained down, with her legs spread. Hovering over her and in between her legs was a man Vincent didn't care to know and didn't give a damn. He ripped the man away (thankfully he didn't touch the girl at _all_) and threw him into a glass pane of where he knew the Men in White would be.

There was screaming and greedily he took a pleasure in it. "V-Vincent?" He turned to the frightened girl, the metal rubbing her skin raw. There was fear but…he smiled at her, relieved. Vincent hooked in a finger under a band at a time and melted the metal, setting her free.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, her body shaken as he gathered her body into his arms, "Vin-Vincent…We should save others too." Kagome whimpered as she buried her face into his wild hair.

"I know." And that was all.

A Man in White shuddered out, "C-Chaos!" The beastly man turned his head at the nasal voice and recognized it as the one who first greeted him in the beginning. With a stroke of his power, the man was fried and charred as his body crumbled from his view. Vincent cheerfully took into the chaos he caused and made sure to make the Men in White suffered_. All of them._

Vincent briskly walked out of the Exam room and randomly struck down the lunging men and those that were running from him. Kagome gasped from his hair as she heard something, "Kirara! I heard her!" He nodded and turned to where the roaring was from.

He ripped away a door and they saw a giant beast slamming into the thick glass that was her prison. Kagome struggled to get down and Vincent allowed her. She clumsily raced to the animal and touched the glass as she stared at them with glaring red eyes, "Do you remember me?"

The lioness roared and attempted to slam a black paw on her face. But it winced once it ended up hitting the hard glass instead. "Kirara!" Kagome whimpered. And the ears perked at the name and allowed out a curious noise. It then stared at the girl's face and the recognition shone brightly in the eyes.

The cat then started licking the glass, trying to get to her, before realizing the animal couldn't get to the human. Kirara then whined, clawing at the glass. Her ears were flattened from desperation, the prolonged face pitched. Kagome gasped and placed her hands where the giant paws were, "Oh…Kirara…Vincent." She looked back, "Can't you break the glass? Or anything?"

"I can try." Vincent nodded, eyeing the machines that were blinking lights around them but refused to take the risks messing with these things. What if he accidentally killed the firecat? Kagome surely would be mad at him and be even lonelier than she used to be. "Step back, Kagome." He approached the glass prison and the beast hissed at him, her being against the back. Her twin tails (he didn't recall the cat ever having two tails but he shouldn't think on it too much right now) curled protectively around her body, obviously threatened by him.

Vincent ignored her as he situated his hands on the glass and allowed the fingers to melt the material. Then he grabbed it, now that he had some leverage, and began pulling back, spreading webs of crack upon the prison. Then Vincent snapped the cage away and flung it behind them. The shifty group of men cried out as the heavy chunk of glass slammed into them. One had his head caved in and he died right away.

Kirara snarled but quieted when Kagome stepped over the broken shards of glass to hug her, "It's okay, Kirara." She murmured into her rough fur, "Don't you remember Vincent? You liked him, Kirara."

The creature warily slipped away from Kagome's grasp to sniff the winged man and allowed out a surprised growl. She then rubbed herself on his legs, her chest rumbling. Vincent ruffled her fur before straightening up, "We still have others to save…"

The girl nodded, grasping his dark colored hand, "Let us be freed." He couldn't say it any better.

Kirara bolted out of the room, sensing another horde of men and allowed her rage to overtake her. Her silver saber fangs found themselves into a man's neck and she violently tore it out. Kagome was in Vincent's arms once more. He ignored the creature's savageness as he stormed off, hell bent on bring destruction and setting rest of the victims free. It was Kagome's wish and Vincent will see to it.

The doors were shredded open and the prisoners slipped out, confused.

Light coated everything in red as the announcement echoed over and over again. The light barely disguised the blood that blanketed all. Most of the detainees fled, some even were brave enough to spit on clawed bodies that abused them so. They didn't even care about the winged man, they all wanted to be freed from this hell.

As they brushed him by, Vincent watched a familiar man prowling around on the flooded floor. His hands and feet were reddened as the man was bellowing out, desperately, "Kikyou! Kikyou! Where are you?" Vincent shut his eyes, feeling the Dog-Man's anxiety and he knew the girl had too. Kagome buried her face into his hair and murmured that she hoped he'd find her Big Sister.

Vincent hoped so too.

"Kikyouuuu!" InuYasha allowed out a mourning cry, as he zipped through the hallway, against the swarms that were in his way. Absently, he tore into an orderly and ran off. Vincent wondered if he should pursue him and decided to trail after him. He followed the Dog-Man's tracks through winding hallways. And stopped before a room-the very one he had saved the girl from. He heard laughter and splashing.

Kagome refused to remove herself, almost as if she knew what it'd look like. Vincent wouldn't let her see it anyway. There, on the floor, was Kikyou laughing and splashing in a puddle of red, surrounded by bodies. InuYasha's ears flattened against his skull at her state. All over, his wife was dyed red, with a big smile on her face, "Big Dog! Come and play with me in the lake! It feels really nice!"

The white-haired male gulped, delicately grasping the woman's wrist, "My dear…we should get out and you can play in a lake in some other time, okay?" He awkwardly tugged the limb.

Kikyou's twisted into that of misery, "But-but…why?" Tears glittered from the light.

There wasn't much the poor mutated man can do, "Dear, this isn't a lake." Vincent chose this time to retreat from the body-filled room, his heart was heavy and he could feel tears running down his neck.

The silence was murdered by a shriek and there was a wail. The sound never disappeared from his mind, even as his feet splashed noisily against the ever-spreading red and his power ever creasing of its crackles. Even as there were roars of anger and death screaming. His precious cargo merely held his form tighter.

Ahead of him were many painted footprints, all leading to true freedom. Vincent simply followed.

Yet, just before the door, the girl shrieked in pain. Her collar roared with powerful electricity. Desperately, she tugged on it before her body failed her, convulsing violently, "V-V-Vin-Vincent! H-Help! I-It h-h-hurts!" Kagome wailed. Vincent watched her, stunned at the sudden display.

Only then did he realize his own collar was striking him too, yet it didn't deter him at all. His body was absent of pain while his love yet again was suffering. Tears from her eyes enraged him and he turned to find who was responsible for her pain.

Standing there, uniformed into the color he hated so much, was a man. Vincent wasn't bothered by the fact that in the man looked almost like him yet not quite so. The man was much more disgusting, more repulsive, than he ever thought possible. In many ways, the man reminded him of Hojo.

"Naraku." Vincent accidentally let slip out, that face forever burned into his memory as he was the very man that tried to force his way into the girl's body.

He looked as if he wanted to grin, yet there was a scowl at the fact that Vincent was unaffected by the shock collar, "Well, bravo! You knew my name." Sarcasm leaked from his nasal tone, "How can I help you today?" Naraku jeered.

The body in his arms slacked and fear blossomed. Vincent stared wide eyed at the now pale girl, her eyes slid shut. If he knew better, he would have thought she died.

_How many times had she died?_

_And came back?_

He kindly placed her against a wall and pressed his lips against her neck. The black metal burned and melted, dropping from her body with a loud clang as it hit the ground. Vincent brushed a strand of her hair away from her sleeping face.

Then he frowned, the collar upon his own throat was still buzzing with power. The winged demon glanced at Naraku, who returned the glare. Vincent hooked his claws into the bond and roughly jerked it away, breaking it against his blackened skin. Pieces of it fell away. And the villous man step back abruptly before going forward with bravado.

The white-coated man lunged at him, his body twisting into something he wasn't supposed to be. And Vincent was ready. His energy snarled out, as Chaos grinned madly. Before him was a mutated form of what once was a man. Eerily the man reminded Chaos of a spider and he inwardly made a remark of squashing the bug under his feet. He sniggered at the thought.

"What's so funny?" The insect-like being hissed Vincent. He said nothing with a grin still on his face. And then they lunged at each other, one determined to kill, the other was determined to imprison the Chaos once more.

The slumbering girl was unaware that she had been flicked with smallest spot of red. She still slept, oblivious to the battle that raged mere feet away.

And then she awoke to a clear night sky.

Kagome winced as the pain roared at her from her neck and her spine, where the electricity had targeted, as she tried to sit up. The girl absently noticed something she hadn't felt in a long time: grass. She gasped and then she felt a hand pressing down on a shoulder, "Don't try and get up too fast, Kagome." Her eyes landed on Vincent, whose appearance had finally returned to normal. She nodded, obeying him, yet…

Vincent closed his eyes as the girl caressed a side of his face. Lovingly. He couldn't help but to lean into her soft hand and to cup it with his own larger one. Fingers tangled. "Thank you." She whispered to him, with a full smile. A true smile. And he treasured it already.

He then moved to lie down next to her body, his hand never letting go of hers as they watched the sky. Neither took much notice of the smoke that wafted to the moon or that the air was considerably hotter than it should be. There were thin screams, anxious for help which they never would receive.

_It is as it should be._

Peace finally came at last.

**HERO**

The survivors came to a small quiet town, one by one. It was quite a reverberation of surprise but somehow, the town didn't let slip of the survivors to the outsiders and the media as they tried to get them settled and recovered. Unfortunately though, few had passed. But they passed with a smile.

Vincent and Kagome were the last to arrive, both covered in unexplainable blood like the rest. The town though was unlike most didn't ask question and simply accepted them.

Vincent eyed the Dog-Man prowling a house, seeming like a nervous wreck as he waited for his wife to reappear. He was sad to admit it but InuYasha and Kikyou were not in good shape, mentally wise and it was unlikely for them to ever recover enough to live on their own. InuYasha was too much like a dog to be a human again and Kikyou was too regressive to be a real adult once more. But at the very least, the town was happy to take them in despite their irregularity.

He and Kagome on the other hand…

"Ummm…Is this too much?" He blinked and turned his head. Vincent blinked as Kagome appeared into his view, and she was wearing a turtleneck sweater dress. With the dress she also wore a pair of black slacks to hide her scars. "I mean it's summer so…" She feigned with her thumbs as she chewed her lips.

"You look fine." He assured her with a sigh, gesturing her to go into his arms. Kagome slipped onto his lap and tugged the red cloth to hide herself from the view of walking passersby. Vincent recently took a liking to wear the red cloak, a gift from the elder of the still quiet town, and golden armor of an arm and his boots to protect himself. Underneath it all he wore some kind of black suit.

"I miss Kirara." Kagome murmured childishly, picking on the red mantle as she gathered up her thin legs.

Vincent sighed as he nuzzled in her neck, "I do too." He confessed, "But I'm sure she's fine." The girl nodded, with a small smile. Vincent's eyes landed on her turtleneck and sighed quietly.

_She's got so many scars…_

_that it was impossible to count them all._

"We should be going soon." He told her and she nodded. The girl then gave a sad glance to the stalking Dog-Man.

She turned to look at him, "Can we say goodbye though?"

"I don't see why not." As much as he wanted to say no, even Kikyou and InuYasha deserved a farewell. They had been good friends to him even after seeing what he truly was. He stood up from a creaky bench after his precious dear slid away from him. Vincent then escorted her to where InuYasha lurked, "InuYasha…We'll be leaving soon."

The man scowled at him, "Why?"

Vincent sighed at his slightly lesser intelligence, "Because we both have things we need to get back to." His tone was cold but didn't flinch.

The Dog-Man growled at him, "But if you both leave then Kikyou will miss you and be sad for a long time."

Kagome frowned, "We will visit! Right, Vincent?" She nervously glanced at him.

"Right." He agreed.

InuYasha emitted a growl but did nothing else but to point to a house where Kikyou had taken to. They then slipped into the building, with the Dog-Man stubbornly remained where he was. Vincent pitied him. Almost.

"Bumblebee, bumblebee, how can you fly with such little wings?" Kikyou cooed at a child's drawing that was posted on a fridge. An old woman allowed in the pair and directed them to where the woman was, in the kitchen, "Can you tell me how you can fly?" She sang before giggling, losing interest into the picture and spun around. Kikyou then spotted her most favorite person in the world, "Iiiiee! Dandelion!" Kagome was enveloped into a hug as the woman was giggling.

"Hi, Mr. Train Man!" Vincent tipped his head in the acknowledgement to her as she waved at him. The girl was then peppered with kisses, "You looked very pretty today, Dandelion!"

Kagome was flustered but managed to offer a smile at the woman, "Thank you." She then pulled away from the laughing woman, "But Kikyou…We came here to say goodbye."

Kikyou stilled, her lips were wobbling, "Goodbye…? Whyyyy?" She whined.

"Vincent and I have some…businesses to take care of." Kagome then quickly offered a smile, "But we'll visit! It's a promise, Kikyou!" She tried to assure.

He sighed, knowing it will end badly and stated quietly, "Maybe we should go ahead and leave now. I highly doubt she'll calm down any sooner unless we leave." The girl, dismayed, nodded and quickly apologized to the old woman. The senior shook her head and waved them off as she went to comfort the deteriorating lady. The pair fled swiftly from the house and met up with a glaring guard dog that was InuYasha.

"You should've stayed!" He snarled, "You should've!" Enraged, the Dog-Man lunged at Vincent and the frightened girl. Vincent grabbed her and pushed her behind him. And he punched the Dog-Man in the face. With the half human spawned on the ground, the red-caped man then took an ear and twisted it in a way that'd be painful for any animal. InuYasha squealed and then fell onto the gravel and displayed the belly. Much like a dog he was.

"Please…stay…" InuYasha weakly snarled.

"We said we'll visit, InuYasha, and we'll visit." The man replied, his voice frosty, "But we're leaving. If you really love Kikyou then…go to her and comfort her." Vincent narrowed his eyes into a glare, "But you're being selfish. Let us go peacefully."

The Dog-Man's ears flattened, "Someone needs to be selfish for Kikyou…" He stated as he rolled off the ground and entered the house without saying another word and without giving them a chance to say anything.

Then they heard singing. They left the town at that hour.

It was a bit lonely, but that was okay with them. They had each other. It was dangerous, but Vincent handled them with ease, with a new weapon he received from the town.

_How long does one take to arrive to a town?_ He wondered. _How do you arrive to a memory that is long since buried by fear? Even if the memory is over by many oceans?_

The plan was to find Kagome's family in Wutai and have her stay there while Vincent is taking care of business in Nibelheim. Or at least that was the plan anyway. He knew better than to expect to keep it. He had a bad feeling. He didn't know why but whatever it was it'd be better if he stayed with Kagome no matter what happened.

It was a long, lonely walk. And dangerous, but Vincent was a good protector. He knew he was and took pride in that, at least. Kagome seemed much happier out of her padded cage, certainly, but there was this fear within her. _Does it matter though?_ He wondered, _she was imprisoned for how many years? Four? Five? She should be eighteen now._ _Or nineteen. _Maybe he was wrong. _Maybe that doesn't matter-she's still recovering and so am I._

Vincent watched her, admiring what she had missed for so many years. Kagome's eyes brightened when she spotted a jackrabbit streaking across in the grass. Then there was a butterfly and a blue bird. Even a wild chocobo with its' newly-hatched chick. _Is it possible to be innocent again?_

_Is it?_

He didn't know.

Then there it was. A small beach village with a way to get to Wutai. Vincent glanced at Kagome, "Are you ready?"

Kagome inhaled before she exhaled, "I am." There was doubt in her voice as well with her eyes but he nodded anyway. They slithered their way in and with some smooth talking; they managed to catch a ride on a major fishing boat.

"I don't think I ever saw a sunset on water before." Kagome softly remarked, "It's so pretty." Vincent hummed in an agreement. After being imprisoned for so long, seeing a sunset was certainly something to treasure. Then they were forced to take a shelter due to the danger of the night.

_She's still recovering…_It wasn't consoling at all to see Kagome trembling at the enclosed space. Vincent couldn't fault her though, as it too reminded him of the hellish cell he had to live in for years. Still he comforted her until the sun returned from its slumber.

And so they finally arrived at Wutai, a bustling city with rich history. Kagome seemed to be hesitant and he knew, "It'll be okay." Vincent told her and somehow it felt like a lie to him. And he let her go.

It might have been the biggest mistake he had ever made yet.

He decided to hit the bar and the bartender decided him rather curious, unused to seeing a foreigner, "Hello there, Mister? May I ask why you're here?" The gentleman questioned as he served Vincent his order.

He wanted to ignore him, but somehow he had to know something. "I brought a girl home."

"What girl?" The bartender blinked, remembering over the list of missing people and those that fled the country. People went missing all the time but still…

Vincent sipped his drink, "Her name is Higurashi Kagome." He said quietly and blinked when he heard a swift intake of breath.

"Higurashi? Oh, that poor child…" The man winced, somewhat glad that it was daytime, "You're lucky you're here during daytime. If anyone else heard that, they would burst your balls for bringing her to such a tragedy…" He then added an afterthought, "Of course no one knows the chick is still alive…"

The glass clinked loudly against the table, "What are you talking about?" The bad feeling left a foul aftertaste.

The bartender paled at that intense look in his red eyes and knew that it'd be better to spill. The man in red fled the bar, leaving behind broken shards of glass and melting ice. The city gradually formed into forestry as he raced. _Why did I let her go? I told myself I wouldn't part with her. Damn it all!_

He stopped before a long flight of stair. There were charred marks everywhere. Vincent then bolted up the stairs, dread left behind cold sensation that blanketed his body. And he hugged the sobbing form that curled onto the ground.

There was nothing but burnt remainders of abandoned memories.

"Mama…Brother…Grandfather…" Her tears didn't cease until the moon shone down on the earth. "It can't be true. It can't be!" Kagome tried to deny it all, but she knew. The cloaked man shushed her as he prepared himself for her anger.

The anger came and she was gone. He followed.

"_My uncle sold me for money…"_

_"I just wanted to go home…That's all I wanted."_

"_I was supposed to be a priestess. To be a big sister. To be a daughter. To be a granddaughter. But how can I be all of that if I'm in this…insanity?"_

She lost everything.

All to greed.

Justice should be served.

And he had no qualm of allowing her to slaughter.

_What is human nature? A question where there was no right or wrong answer._ Vincent thought, _We can be broken yet…cannot be broken. How is that even possible?_ He didn't allow himself to look away when his precious dear confronted her shocked uncle, demanding answers of why he had murdered her family.

_How is that a person can have so many good things when someone else, who is so much more deserving to be blessed, always loses everything? Why can't they live happily just this once? Why do tragedies happen to good, kind people when they've never harmed anyone?_ He wondered.

It was so unfair for that sweet girl to lose everything, when she had done absolutely nothing to people but to be kind and loving. She was only just…a little girl.

Vincent didn't step in when her uncle tried to intimidate Kagome, of which she simply laughed at. There was no cheer or anger in her tone, only flatness. It was obvious that the uncle feared the new changes in the girl.

He died; his throat slashed by his own katana she stole to murder him with it.

_And so innocence died so easily. How so easily… should I feel guilt for not safekeeping it?_ Vincent didn't feel anything but a desire to love and support the girl. _So, she's no longer a caged songbird. She's now an eagle…_

He took her away and accepted her as she broke down crying again, the sword abandoned. Needless to say, they fled Wutai and slipped into a ship. Already he was sick of seeing the sunset and Kagome didn't want to see a thing.

"I miss Kirara." She said.

"I know." And that was all.

Stars faded and the sun rose. They then fled across the land and through a cave of a mountain. Somewhere along the way Kagome took a thin sword and he didn't protest. She was still learning and that was okay with him, as long she could protect herself and he could remain her guardian.

There was a town he hated. Nibelheim. So many memories. Too many memories. Was Lucrecia still there? Was Hojo?

The manor came in view and Kagome mutely followed him. The building creaked when they entered but Vincent didn't let it bother him. _She_ saw them.

"V-Vin-Vincent…! You're alive!" The woman gasped out, tears running down her cheeks. Already she seemed unsure whether if she should run and hug him or not. He _glared._ The woman paled, "I-I'm s-sorry."

"Lucrecia, enough." He stated, "You _knew _I _loved_ you. Yet you chose _him_ over me. The man you knew would never love you." Vincent knew Kagome's growing discomfort of the situation but he didn't let her go, "But I will thank you. I'm not happy _yet_ but I did find someone else to love and love me in return." He glanced at the girl, who was looking at elsewhere, her face red.

"I…I see." She sounded as if she was hurt, "But she…looks _young_."

Vincent nodded, "True. She suffered as I had yet she endured it with me. Really now, that's coming from you, Lucrecia?" He sighed, "Hojo is ten years your senior." He pointed out flatly.

The long-haired woman nodded, flinching at his coldness, "I supposed you're right." She then gestured to a room, "U-um…maybe you'd like a drink?"

They accepted.

Kagome fidgeted, this situation was too awkward for her to be in but she wanted to support Vincent no matter what it took. "I didn't mean to be so…cold to her." The man groaned as he confessed to the girl once Lucrecia was out to fetch some tea.

Kagome shook her head, "You were hurt by her. But she was hurt too." She frowned, "To be honest, I do not understand Lucrecia's choice. Have you done anything to her?" Kagome didn't accuse or hoped she didn't sound too accusing.

"No." Vincent sighed, "I had done nothing but to love her."

"Then maybe something happened to her to make her scared and want to protect you." Kagome weakly suggested. She didn't like the woman but she didn't hate her either. It was just simply because she didn't know Lucrecia, the first woman Vincent had ever loved.

_By the god, I love her._ He sighed, "I can ask I supposed. I do need to know how I ended up in that nuthouse. Ended up being Chaos of all things."

Kagome frowned, "I don't think it will be that easy to get the answers you want though…And didn't you say that she was pregnant once?"

"Ah. I forgot about that…Where…?" Vincent then sighed again, "Hojo. Of course. He took the child away…"

The girl frowned and was about to say something but was interrupted, "You guys need to go! Now!" Lucrecia stormed in, desperation written on her face, "I do not know what happened with the two of you but out of all things, you both are on Shinra's blacklist!"

"Wait? Blacklist?" Vincent hissed out as he stood up from the chair.

Lucrecia whimpered, "You were wanted back to the Lab. Both of you. Someone reported." She hugged herself, "Please leave."

"You knew where I was?" Yet the woman didn't do a damn thing?

Lucrecia whined, "I didn't know until Hojo told me after he took your body to the Lab! I tried everything I could to get you out but they…" She broke down on her knees, crying, "Even when I…"

There were sounds of people storming in the manor, voices loud. Kagome was increasingly frightened and tugged on his sleeve, "We need to go!"

He nodded but turned to the woman, "What happened to the baby, Lucrecia?" There was no coldness. No anger. Simply kindness.

Lucrecia sniffled, "They took him away from me. They named him Sephiroth."

Vincent hugged her, "I'll admit it, I'm angry at you but I'm more angry at myself. I do not understand why you did what you did. But I wish I can do something for you, Lucrecia, and I'm sorry." He turned away and fled with the girl out of a window.

The woman then let out a wail, even as the men in black flooded the room. Voices shouting orders. Even when they dragged her into a black van for inspection. _Vincent, I'm so sorry and I always loved you…_

Vincent and Kagome raced across a swinging bridge, toward the mountain of Nibel. He then shot down a man, unwilling to let Kagome to get hurt by a spray bullet, "Just keep running, Kagome!" Their bodies became a blur of red, white, and black, as they were stalked by men in the suit.

Within the mountain the pair faded. The horde of men refused to crease their hunt even when the Man in Red and the Girl hid a little too well to be found. But the life on the mountain wasn't too bad and they enjoyed the silence who came visited them once more.

Not to say that it was comfortable though, as they had to learn how to hunt and find a way to wash themselves _undetected_. The men in black were everywhere and oftentimes set up camp with the couple right under their noses. But at least it was a great training ground for the girl and the Man in Red.

"I hate it here." Kagome confessed as she stared at the fire her protector recently made, "There's so much freedom yet…it's so restrictive." The sparks of the light danced joyfully with its distorting colors, "And I miss Kirara."

Vincent sighed, "I know."

She accepted his offer of comfort and remained there for the rest of night.

The sun rose. Vincent blinked awake, hearing something. Kagome never slept so she simply looked at him curiously before her eyes widened. There were sounds of canines barking, "They brought in the bloodhounds!" He hissed out. He stood up and dragged the girl with him.

They may have covered their tracks but there was one small thing they couldn't hide. Their scent.

The Man in Red cursed, realizing they were in an enclosed cave (however large) with only one opening. The sounds came directly from the cavity's direction, "We need to run. Fast. If we are cornered, kill." He stated and the girl tensely nodded. Her hand tightened on the scabbard of her katana.

Vincent's fingers entwined with hers easily and Kagome smiled, "We'll be fine." She hoped.

The feet kicked off the dirt and gravel, fleeing their shelter. Blue sky never seemed so inviting as they leapt off the mountain. Air rushed, gravity welcomed them with open arms, even as the time almost paused for them.

The men in black shouted after them, astonishment written so clearly on their faces. Their marks had just _jumped_ off from a cliff. The dogs started to bray and panicking out of blue, one even fled from its leash. Then there was a ball of inferno streaking past the men, chasing after the falling couple. The girl and the Man in Red were caught on the blazing spirit.

They disappeared, leaving behind a trail of fire that quickly faded into floating smoke.

"What the _hell_?" A gentleman said, nearly speechless. There was nothing more to say. However they refused to give up so easily.

Silence died a quick death as one's eyes burned with determination and shouted out an order to keep on pursuing. Voices roared agreeably as they raced off the mountain, dogs on their heels. Only loyalty kept them at the bay.

_The Planet is so little under us, so _little_, yet…_ Vincent mused as he eyed the green life that breathed below them, _so big. So beautiful._ He looked up at the clouds he almost could touch and the darkening color that was the sky, _the air is almost suffocating up here yet so clean…_Underneath his hands there were coarse fur_, familiar_ fur that was almost too hot to touch.

Kirara.

Surrounding them were small sparks of fire that flowed from the giant blackened paws. The creature worked to ferry his beloved and him across the sky, grunting stubbornly. She didn't mind the arms that roped along her very large neck as the girl clung on the animal. Nor the mismatched hands that crutched on her fur a bit too tight underneath the female's torso.

Kirara was and still is a magnificent friend, truly.

Kagome was overjoyed to see the cat again but she was frightened by her very first flight. Vincent wouldn't blame her though, as it too was his first flight. He nearly trembled at the very first experience but somehow held it in.

_She's getting tired,_ he thought, _It should be safe for her to land._ "Kirara, you can pull in now." The Man in Red told her. He received an acknowledged grunt in return. With a sudden shift of the body, she clenched the cat tighter in her arms, almost panicking. It was if this was some sort of cruel joke, Kirara nearly dive-bombed at the earth below.

Then the animal landed gratefully, with a victory huff. She lowered her body to allow her passengers to slide off. Vincent was the first to get on his feet, looking unaffected from the trip. Kagome although trembled at the sudden movement and simply glided off to the ground on her bottom. She hadn't let go of Kirara's neck, her form still shaking from the voyage.

The Man in Red decided that the clearing that the she-lion had chosen to land was perfect to set up a camp. With the fire pit soaring with life, he watched the two friends reunited with hugs and licking and smiled.

He knew Kirara would never forget Kagome's effort to keep her living and her love for the former housecat. Her loyalty was obvious to all. It was the first time Vincent had seen Kagome snoozing peacefully, with the creature offering comfort. He was almost jealous. _Almost_. Vincent supposed that the flight had taken a lot from her, ensuring a need for sleep to recover.

Kirara grunted at him across the fire, gesturing for him to accept her warmth. Vincent accepted without a thought and pulled the female into his arms. He then slept, with the lioness curling around the duo. Her fur was warm enough to dispel away any chillness. Sleep was kind to him that night.

Next day was a quiet day with Kagome surprisingly being a bit of chatterbox. The appearance of the old friend had considerably lifted her spirit and Vincent was pleased to know it so. He didn't recall any brightness of true happiness on her face even once until now. _Smiles are pretty on her face._ Vincent idly pondered.

Kirara was a welcomed addition to their tiny group.

Then a month went by in a blur. Kagome was considerably better with her training. Kirara was a devout outlook for any suited men. And Vincent…

He found it harder to control the Chaos within every passing day. Desires for the girl were difficult to withhold. His mind was darkening with lust.

Kagome didn't know of course, though Vincent thought she may have some suspicion as his behavior was a bit off. Kirara though simply eyed him, always remaining close to his beloved. Vincent appreciated her for that, not wanting to scar the girl farther than needed. Was she ready?

He didn't know.

"Should we go back to Nibelheim?" Kagome one day asked, worrying her lips. The dirt road ahead of them was leading to unknown.

Vincent shook off that lingering lust and glanced at her, "Why do you ask?"

"I'm worried about Lucrecia." She admitted, "I don't know if she's okay or not. I saw _them_ taking her away in a van."

He stopped at the track and crossed his arms, "…If this will cease your worries then I do not see why we couldn't." With an afterthought, "Of course you will have to be ready for the Turks. They might be waiting for us."

Kagome sighed, "If you don't mind, I'd like us to go…" Her shoulders sagged, "I know you have a history with her and us being hunted…I'm just not sure how you'd feel." Kirara simply walked past them, leaving the two alone.

_How I love her so,_ he didn't know if her kindness would be her greatest weakness or maybe the strongest weapon at her hands. Whichever it was, he needed to be cautious. _She was right though, we do need to check on Lucrecia and I still have some questions for her._ Plus this will keep his mind off of the Chaos' demand within him for a time being.

"We'll go." Vincent nodded and she smiled brightly.

Off to Nibelheim they go.

The town was lively but somehow, suppressing. Even Kirara shuddered at the feel of it. Nonetheless, they were careful to not to get noticed like the last time and managed to creep into the Manor effortlessly.

The Manor inside was blanketed with dust, as if it had been abandoned for a long time. Vincent frowned and called out, "Lucrecia?" He rushed up the stairs and to a room he knew was Lucrecia's and saw it empty but a letter on the bed.

Kagome and Kirara followed quietly and waited for an answer.

"She said she'll seal herself away," Vincent nearly sounded disconsolate, "and she apologized and wished us luck and a good future…" The girl was unsure if to approach him or to leave him be before she decided. He felt his fingers being entwined and looked at her face, "Why do I feel so guilty, Kagome?"

She frowned, squeezing his hand while not saying a word. It was apparent that she did not know what to say but still wished to bring Vincent comfort. The bed creaked as he absently sat down with the letter still in his hand. It creaked again as Kagome took a seat on it as well.

Vincent wondered on whether if he should hate silence or welcome it once more, like they had in the past. The clock ticked and tocked impatiently, unaware of telling all of how long they had been in this very room.

Kirara set her head down and blew away the dust that had been bothering her sensitive black nose. Her long fangs were jagging down into the wood, without her meaning to. Even if the wait was beginning to grind on her, she still waited.

_Lucrecia…what did you do?_ He worried, remembering of the Mako she had been fused with once when her pregnancy was confirmed. _You couldn't die either, could you?_ But where had she been sealed away was the question.

Kirara's ears perked and her head shot up from the ground. She emitted a warning growl as she got up and spun away from the room to inspect whatever she had detected. Vincent and Kagome knew better to discount her behavior and waited within the room.

There was a roar.

There were gunshots.

And there was shouting.

Kagome gasped and glanced at Vincent, "They found us, didn't they?"

"Sound like it." He took out his gun, "Be ready."

They ran and this time they will not run away. Men were torn away by the claws and the fangs of the creature. Men were slaughtered by a blade. And the men fell by many well aimed bullets. Then they fled as they dragged their fallen comrades with, realizing that their mission was a lost cause. Those were the only ones they could not capture.

Vincent found himself on his knees, clenching over where his heart was. The girl was to his side in an instant, a hand on his face, "What's wrong?"

"The guilt…" He buried himself into her chest, "It hurts."

The Chaos burned brightly, angrily. _Ignore the guilt! Know your desires!_ It roared at him, echoing within his decaying mind.

The she-lion slithered away into the darkness, as if she knew of the events that would follow.

Vincent was at odds with himself. He wanted to feel guilty for the actions that the first woman he had ever loved had taken. But he also wanted to show the girl, the one that had been by side through the pain and the suffering for years, that he truly loved her.

He wasn't much a man to speak for his feelings, preferring to do so through actions. That was how he always had been.

"Vincent? Are you okay?" Kagome combed her fingers through his unkempt hair, hoping to console him. She blinked as she felt the tightening of his fists at her sides, "Vincent?"

_What should I do?_ He warred with himself. He found himself locking lips with her. Startled, Vincent removed himself from her presence and left the Girl confused and flushed. Kagome touched her lips and saw that Vincent was gone.

She felt hurt, "…Vincent?"

Vincent hid himself within a room, feeling ashamed of his actions. _Why did I do that? _ He groaned. It seemed as if his mental state was still tattered. Chaos that lurked darkened his view and he winced, _Act on your desires! Inactions caused you to lose the woman and yet you are willing to lose the girl?_ The voice demeaned him, reminding him more of his ever growing guilt.

_No._ He didn't want to._ I do not want to hurt her._

Chaos hissed at him, belittling him.

"Everything will be okay." His eyes widened in surprise as he felt arms looping around his waist from behind, "You told me everything will be okay. You promised you'll always be my hero." Kagome murmured into his back.

_Do you want to lose her?_ The demon within reminded him.

Only then did he realize, Chaos was a part of him. His confidence. Yet fear was infectious.

_What did it mean to be a hero?_ He absently wondered, _Bravery? Self sacrifice? Kindness?_ The true definitions of being a hero always eluded him even now, _What does it really mean to be a hero?_

"Vincent…are you…scared?" Fingers clutched into his suit, uncertainty shook.

_Scared?_ _Am I scared?_ He remembered his cowardice-the cowardice that cost him his humanity, sanity, and the first love. _Heroes shouldn't be a coward._ This he knew."Maybe." Vincent murmured quietly.

"It's okay to be scared." He felt her smiling from his back, "All the good heroes are, at some point."

"…" He released himself from her hug and turned, "Then what does it take to be one then?"

Kagome smiled embarrassingly, "Being honest with yourself would be one."

_Being honest? _The guilt still weighted heavily but somehow, her words made it seem if he's honest then the guilt would be lighter. Vincent brushed away the stray hair, cupping the girl's face. She shut her eyes at the warmth of his hands, her hands entangled with them. _She never cared about Chaos. She never cared about me being not human. Kagome simply cared about _me_._

_So why am I letting the fear getting to me? The guilt?_

Then he kissed her again.

Somehow they found themselves entangled with each other on a bed, clothes spewed all over the floor and on furniture. Their skin was beyond imperfect yet they didn't mind. He kissed every scar he could find on her body as she held him tightly. He was careful, easing in and made love to her. The girl was no longer a girl but now a woman.

She whispered and cried out in passion, cooing her love for the man.

_It takes love and passion to be a hero, doesn't it?_ He absently wondered, _…Actually, it takes everything to be one._ Vincent stole a kiss once more.

Kagome slept easily within his arms, beyond exhausted, leaving him alone to his thoughts. _What should we do now? This guilt refused to leave. _Vincent sighed, glanced at his new lover, _We've got nothing but the future now._ Chaos nested within his soul, waiting for the time to be fully awake once more.

Years later, he knew, would bring about new changes for the world and the Lifestream itself and somehow he, Kagome, and Kirara would be a part of it. The truth he so desperately wanted would reveal itself to him then. A madman would fall. Now there was nothing to do but to wait. After all, he now had until the end of eternity with the girl that loved him through all the suffering and the cat who was loyal.

A sunrise rose from the horizon, shining for a new day.

**END.**

* * *

*Slitted eyes are only norm in **cats**, not dogs. Dogs, and _wolves_, always have had round pupils. Stories tended to forget the real anatomy, to be honest with you all.

*It was meant to be contradicting, to show the current state of mind. So appreciate it if you don't point that out as an error or anything since it was meant to be like that.

I got a Tumblr! Yay! Just copy, paste it into the address bar, and close the spaces and replace the dot with actual dot please.

****** beautiful-phantom . tumblr dot com  
**(DAMN LINK!)******  
**

I got a lot more inputs (this oneshot have many allusions and interpretations I wanna talk about so yeah…) on this whole thing but I don't want to make the A/N any longer than necessary (so can't wait for that note feature!). Beware, they may contain spoilers for canon FFVII if you haven't yet play a game or watch the movie of it. I have a bad habit of rambling, as I'm sure most of you guys know already so it's something.

I'll probably use it to inform of my status, give a bit of spoilers, and what I'm doing now…and stuffs. So…stalk me and I'll stalk you back maybe? I won't bite. Much.

Anyway, sorry about the long length and the ending might be a bit too rushed. But still, I hope it's an enjoyable read!

What do you all think of the shot though? I'd love some **feedbacks** please!

-BP

(_PS_. Sorry but I doubt there will be a sequel…and beside the canon FFVII game is basically its' sequel, just with more characters and more plots really. But we'll see.)


	3. Of Death and Devil

**Of Death and Devil  
**_There always will be lessons to learn, no matter if ye be a god or something else entirely._

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(Note: This oneshot was inspired by a fan animation, _Final Fighting Fantasy: Twilight_. I based the plot from that animation mostly. And also you can take it as a spinoff of an oneshot I did. This is _unbeta'd_ and I used a new style of writing. Apologizes in advance if there are some errors. Enjoy!)

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_Death was the only thing that was neutral between white and black. It simply ferries the souls into the afterlife, no matter where-Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell. _

_It wasn't the most obvious solution, yet…_

"You are Death, aren't you?"

She glanced away, disappointment shone brightly in her eyes.

_If I had known, I would never betray. And now, she's alone…Again._

"I…I'm sorry." He didn't know what else to say-he murdered his closest friends, over his foolish belief and his personal demons.

She said nothing, as she quietly led him down to his punishment in Hell. There were many, who shared his sight, screaming as the devil tikes shrieked in sick joy, controlling the suffering. Their laughter was louder than the screams, the cries.

It was cold-so _cold_.

Then she stopped before a gaping darkness between two pillars that were riddled with skulls, "As you are an immortal, you simply need to elude_ it _until you found your true forgiveness within yourself." Death stated, her voice chillingly blank. "Please step forward."

He didn't like the emptiness she had but said nothing and obeyed. His red cloak tattered away, streaking within the void, until there was nothing left of him. But his voice, "I love you." It echoed never-ending.

And Death broke, tears streamed down from her eyes, "You did this to me-now I have no one! Not even the immortal lovers, the Fire Spirit and the Son of Seto!" She choked, "The world is now empty of life! All because of a fool's belief you fell for!"

The void never replied back.

Some punishers eyed her, almost with pity but they merely turned back to resume suffering to the doomed souls. Their laughter though pinged with Death's sorrow of the Devil's actions. Their words of her mourning slithering still throughout years that passed.

The world was no longer barren and was fattened with Life.

_They always said that Death can Love.  
And Love very well.  
The Devil was a Fool, they jeered of his true name._

_Long time ago, the world was Unbalanced.  
And so, they decided, they shall renew it!  
The foolish Man in Red abandoned the Unfading Woman all  
Alone._

_The world was barren and Death had naught but to mourn  
of Life that was Gone._

_Devil, the name that was nay to be divulged,  
Ye art a foolish soul indeed._

-From 83rd Verse of the Testament Lifestream, of the wandering soul, Zack Fair.

Forgiving thyself was difficult the Devil knew. The void swallowed him whole and he merely suffered alone, memories were very unforgiving. Love was beautiful, but cruel. Oh, so very cruel.

A being took a pity and took a visit, "Don't ye think ye should focus _less_ on the memories and more on thy loves?" A single black wing stretched against the darkness, bringing in a ray of shimmering light.

"Who are you?" The voice was hoarse. The eyes were blind to all, as Darkness too had taken them.

The long silver hair was like a spider's web in the morning's sunlight, "…Ye should remember me-I was _almost_ thy son. Mine name was once-" He was interrupted.

"Ye art Sephiroth-the Angel of the Dark, art ye not?" The Devil mumbled, "Why be ye here? This is my hell. The hell this one brought on self." The aged wings creaked against the invisible chains. He blindly eyed the One-Winged Angel.

Sephiroth shook his head, "Ye art pitiful. I was forgiven and I hath since forgave myself." He stepped toward the Devil in Red, "My Almost Father…I forgave myself and hath since was loved willingly. That was what this one always wanted-Love." He hummed, "And ye forget-I was once a killer of Life, in the sake of a Mother that was Not Mine."

The chained Man spoke not a word and awaited him to leave him be into his suffering once more.

"This one remembered those I loved. Not on what I hath done so long ago." He stepped away, his single wing fading away from the snarling Void, "Mayhap ye should doth the same, My Almost Father?" Sephiroth was gone, leaving only a feather behind._  
_

And the Devil was again left alone.

_Forgiveness they said is something only Gods understood fully.  
Belike that is true, but we can forgive when we wanted to  
And needed to.  
_

_But what of Forgiveness to self?  
Mayhap that may be the most difficult path we all have to face.  
There is naught but a reward in the End._

_Love._

_Forgive yourself of your Guilt  
And you shall find your Paradise._

-From 112rd Verse of the Testament Lifestream, of the praying soul, Aerith Gainsborough.

Her face.  
Her scars.  
Her suffering.  
Her Love.  
Her undying Love of him.

Does she still love him?

He didn't know.

All he knew of that he still love her and that it was almost painful.

The river to the Afterlife was impassable but only by Death herself. So he waited.

And waited.

And _waited_.

She waited so long for him, the punishers told him even as they spat on his feet, he should wait a little bit longer for Death. He agreed. It was the least he can do, as she suffered all alone. The river was green, same color of the Ancients' blood that flowed passed with it.

It almost seemed like forever to him.

And she finally came, ferrying a soul that was lost from Life. Death was singing and the thrashing souls calmed within the dead water. And she saw him.

The song faded at her lips, the boat stopped still.

_There were no Gods.  
But there art Angels who Guide.  
There is a kind Lady Death who ferries over the Souls to their Final Resting Places.  
And there is a Devil in Red who brought Justice and Chaos._

_Never wrong them, for they bring you to Life, Death, Happiness, and Peace.  
Because of them, we exist. And breathe. And be remembered.  
Because of them, we can hate and we can forgive.  
We can Love._

_They brought us Love._

_Never forget the Lessons They taught us  
As they do nay want us to suffer like they hath. _

_I forgave and I received Happiness.  
They brought me Happiness.  
And I will always treasure them, as mine friends._

-From 181rd Verse of the Testament Lifestream, of the righteous soul, Cloud Strife.

He was foolish but he taught himself that he too was far from perfect. And that her happiness with him was far more important than his beliefs, no matter what be they. At last, they can love each other fully again.

Death laughed, as the Devil followed. Their hands entwined with each other, as they guided each other to a better future and to the path of Happiness. They may never die, even when the Life will once more be ruined, but at the very least they will have each other.

He didn't want her to be alone again and never will again will he allow it to happen.

The reborned Spirit of Fire and the Son of Seto bounded together, playing within the lash field of green spring. Their memory of their past was nay but dreams to them. Nonetheless they didn't allow them to bother and took their Life to its' fullest, intended to stay with Death and the Devil to the end of the forever.

And there was a smile.

-_End._

* * *

Cast:  
Death-Kagome  
Devil-Vincent  
Spirit of Fire-Kirara  
Son of Seto-Nanaki/Red XIII

Sorry if the shot was confusing (and too short!), but in a way, I wanted the readers to think on what they just read, I supposed.

It somewhat is a bit of a spinoff of last shot I did. Just thought it was interesting to do. I also wanted to show the change of speech, due to time that passed. That would be like what? Ten millions years or something? That would probably be why they didn't have 'names' per to say, except Sephiroth.

And I also wanted to try to write a bit like a Bible, basically, showing a lesson of a moral. But yeah, I'm all over the place. Meh. It was a quick shot for me though, for fun. Hope you liked it!

Oh! And I haven't been inspired to write as much lately. So I'm sorry if you see any lack of updating in a long while after this. ;A;

-_**Beautiful Phantom**_


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